How To Choose The Right Domain Name For A Blog?

With thousands upon thousands of affiliate marketing websites, you may have some difficulty choosing a domain name for your blog. I was also in your shoes once, as a newbie affiliate marketer, and it took me a long time to decide on a domain name.

Your first question then will likely be: “How to choose the right domain name for a blog?” You should give it careful thought especially since a blog’s domain name is very important for search engine optimization and branding. You must keep in mind that your blog’s domain name is your brand name and your identity so making the right choice is vital.

#1 Keep It Short and Sweet

Short, sweet and simple is the first rule in choosing domain names. This is because the longer a domain name is, the higher the risks for customers to misspell, mistype, and forget it – and you don’t want these things to happen! The fewer the characters in it, the easier it is to remember, type and say as well as share on social media platforms.

But it’s not just the customers’ memory recall that you have to worry about. Long domain names tend to become compressed on search engines and shortened on social media sites. Your blog may not even show up fully on search engines or its URL gets cut off.

#2 Choose a Brandable Name

Your domain name is part of your brand, a collection of your products and services’ distinctive identity in comparison with your competitors’ range. Your brand can include names, symbols, and designs found on your blog.

Your choice in a domain name must then be brand-able, which means it can be tied in with the rest of your brand’s aspects. This can be achieved by choosing a name that:

Evokes the right images in your target customers’ minds about the characteristics and benefits of your products and services;

Distinguishes your brand from your competitors; and

Removes the impression of being generic.

You should also avoid names that make your domain name sound strange. Hyphens, numbers, and symbols are a big no-no for this reason. You must also avoid generic keyword strings because these will not stand out in your target customers’ minds.

For example, between “pasta-shop.com” and azpastashop.com”, your better choice is the second one because it’s neither generic nor strange.

Tip: When your domain name has been registered, you should buy its various extensions including the misspelled versions. This will prevent your competitors from using versions of your main domain name, as well as ensure that traffic will be directed to your website even when Netizens mistype it.

#3 Make It Easy to Pronounce

You may think that an easy-to-pronounce domain name isn’t necessary – your target customers will not be saying it many times, after all. But it matters due to processing fluency, a concept wherein humans have a natural cognitive bias for things that we can easily say and think about.

The more pronounceable your domain name is, the more memorable it will be to your target customers. Again, you should avoid putting numbers, hyphens and symbols in it because it will be more difficult to pronounce.

#4 Research on the Availability

Let’s say that you found the best name for your domain since it meets the criteria mentioned here. But you mustn’t stop here because you have to comply with trademark and copyright laws.

You must do your research about the availability of the domain name being considered. Your goal: Avoid infringing on another company’s existing copyright or trademark lest you find yourself in legal trouble. You may even want to consult your lawyer about it.

It isn’t just the laws that will have an impact on choosing a domain name similar to another one. You will also be creating brand confusion – your target customers can easily be confused which brand is which. Your own affiliate sales can suffer in the process, no thanks to the loss of trust from your target customers and to their defection to your competitors.

#5 Use Relevant and Ranking Keywords

In the online universe, search engine optimization (SEO) is king! You must then master the basics of SEO so that your blog can be displayed on a search engine results’ first page for relevant keywords. You must also do your research about the reliable and relevant keywords that Google, Yahoo, and Bing use.

A few tips:

Use keywords that describe your business, such as glassreplacementservices.com for a glass replacement company

Include keywords that people use during their online search for your products and services

Avoid stressing keyword inclusion but use broad keywords, when necessary

Basically, you’re looking for a domain name with one or two keywords that can be easily associated with your business, as well as easy to remember, spell, and pronounce. You may also add your city or state name to the domain name, in case your blog targets a highly specific area.

Use the Right Domain Name Extension

In the online parlance, extensions are suffixes at the end of web addresses. You have several choices including:

.com – The most recognized extension outside of the tech world so grab it, when possible.

.co – The abbreviation for community, commerce, and company

.net – The extension for Internet infrastructure and technical sites

.org – The preferred extension for non-profit and non-commercial organizations

.biz – The best choice for business and commercial sites

.me – The choice for personal sites including blogs and resumes

Ask a professional about it so that you can make the right decision.

Final Thoughts

I suggest giving the matter of your domain name a few days of careful consideration before making your final choice. You’re establishing your brand amidst an ocean of competitors so the most memorable your domain name, the better. If you need help deciding which domain name to use, you can experiment with your options when you sign up for a comprehensive affiliate marketing training at Wealthy Affiliate.

Just remember, however, that your success doesn’t just rest on your domain name. There are other things to consider including the performance of your site, the quality of your content and the kind of products you’re promoting. To know the basics of affiliate marketing, consider signing up for Wealthy Affiliate’s training program.

What do you think of this article? I hope you find this useful for choosing a right domain for your online business.

Last but not least do comment below if you have further thought of this topic.